This invention relates to a returnable shipping container and more particularly, to a container which is especially desirable for use in packaging, storing and shipping deformable endless belts that are characterized by their substantial bulk and weight. The invention also relates to a shipping package which is formed from the combination of the unique container described herein and a deformable endless belt of the type described as well as to a unique method for packaging and handling endless belts for transportation or storage.
Endless belts are utilized in a variety of industrial settings and applications. These belts may be used, for example, to drive machinery, convey goods, or to transmit motion. Many of these belts are designed for use in specialized applications where the belt possesses unique characteristics that are dictated by the functional operations they are designed to perform. For example, a particular class of belting is employed in the textile industry for mechanically pre-shrinking fabrics. In a mechanical preshrinking unit these belts are subjected to tension as well as to numerous directional changes designed to literally stretch the belt (and the cloth) in portions of the unit followed by inducing a recoiling action by relaxing the surface tension of the belt to thereby impart the pre-shrunk characteristics of the fabric. Consequently, this type of belt is made of a rubber composition with the attendant qualities of extreme bulk, deformability, and collapsibility. Moreover, these belts typically weigh in excess of 1200 pounds. As a result of the tremendous weight and bulk of these belts, they are highly susceptible to damage resulting from inadequate support and protection for the payload during storage and transportation in conventional shipping containers such as wooden crates. In some instances the degree of damage associated with conventional shipping containers may be so great as to render the belts totally unsuitable for their intended use.
A number of attempts have been previously made in an effort to overcome the shortcomings associated with conventional shipping containers in transporting endless belts. As illustrated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,885,072; 3,942,637; 4,150,745; and 4,162,009, however, these efforts have typically entailed wrapping the belts around cores or nesting the belts so as to provide overlapping layers. These approaches are totally unsuitable for applications where the belts are heavy and deformable since this type of orientation actually results in the formation of permanent creases in some belts such as those used in the aforementioned pre-shrinking units. As a result, the conventional practices for storing and transporting bulky and deformable endless belts, including the use of conventional shipping crates, remain prevalent nothwithstanding the substantial and associated risk of damaging the payload.
In addition to providing adequate support and protection for the endless belt, a shipping container for these products should also possess additional features for facilitating their transportation, storage, and general utility. These features include adequate strength without excessive weight, supporting projections on the container for facilitating stable stacking while providing access by forklifts, pallet jacks, and the like, and nestability of the container members for compact storage in a warehouse or to facilitate transportation of empty containers. In addition, the container should provide for relative ease of payload introduction and removal as may be achieved through the use of the novel method of packaging described herein.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel returnable shipping container, package, and method of packaging which avoid the drawbacks associated with conventional shipping crates and packaging methods primarily in the form of damage resulting from collapsing payloads. It is a further object of the invention to provide a shipping container possessing features which enhance the material handling characteristics of the package formed from the combination of the novel container and a belt of the type described.